Ghana needs a decisive leader like Akufo-Addo, says Dr Bawumia

The running mate of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in the 2008 and 2012 elections, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has stated that Nana Akufo-Addo is the decisive leader Ghana needs "to return us onto the path of prosperity."

Addressing delegates of the party in the Eastern Region last Thursday, Dr Bawumia stated that the National Democratic Congress (NDC), from 2009 to date, had shown that they were not up to the task of managing the economy of the country and, in turn, bring relief to Ghanaians.

Dr Bawumia noted that "In view of this, we need to select a decisive leader with vision and direction. We need a trustworthy leader who can give us an economy that we can be proud of, and that leader is Nana Akufo-Addo."

He described the NDC government's attempt to ascribe the country's economic woes to the fall in the prices of gold and cocoa as laughable.

He was at a loss as to how President Mahama and his government could blame the fall in the prices of gold and cocoa for the crisis Ghana finds herself in when "cocoa prices are on the average for the period 2009 to date 52 per cent higher than they were during the tenure of the New Patroitc Party (NPP) government under President John Agyekum Kufuor, from 2001 to 2008."

Dr Bawumia added that gold prices from 2009 to date were on average 172 per cent higher on the international market than they were under the eight years of the NPP, adding that "the problem is not gold or cocoa prices. The problem is that this government has mismanaged the economy and, as a result, has placed untold hardships on Ghanaians."

He continued, "Ghana now has oil. Under the NPP, there was no oil. They [NDC] have borrowed over $20 billion and still there is no money. They [NDC] have received tax revenue much more than any government, yet we still need a bailout from the IMF."

Dr Bawumia maintained that President  Mahama and his NDC government could dare not complain of lack of resources.

"But where is the money? When we need money to pay contractors, teachers, nurses etc., the NDC says there is no money. But when schemes such as SADA, GYEEDA, and the purchasing of sanitary pads spring up, they will find the money," Dr Bawumia stressed.

In view of this, he told the delegates that "we need a decisive leader who will transform this country, and that leader is none other than Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. His vision for this nation has been clear and consistent, and will deliver prosperity for all."

Hope

Relatedly, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has assured Ghanaians of better times ahead for the nation when he and the NPP are voted into office in the 2016 presidential election.

According to Nana Akufo-Addo, "we need people who will work for Ghana to succeed. It is only the NPP who can bring prosperity, employment for the youth and progress for all. We have the men and women who can give this nation good and effective government."

He made this known when he addressed delegates of the NPP in the Eastern Region, upon resumption of his campaign to win the nomination of the party ahead of the 2016 elections. 

The Better Ghana Agenda mantra of the ruling NDC, according to Nana Addo, has collapsed as the only thing Ghanaians are witnessing is bad governance which has brought in its wake hardships and poverty. 

"Businesses are collapsing, our educational system is in disarray. When someone is sick, it becomes a heart-wrenching issue, because our healthcare system is in a mess. This is not the Ghana we all know," he stated.

A government under his leadership, Nana Addo explained, will ensure the rapid industrialisation of the Ghanaian economy and move this nation from a producer and exporter of raw materials to an economy that will add value to the country's raw materials. This, he said, was the sure way of creating the hundreds of thousands of jobs needed for the growing masses of unemployed youth. 

"I did not get into politics to enrich myself. That's not why I am in politics. That is not the reason I am seeking office. I am seeking office to serve the people of Ghana," he added. 

He asked the delegates to entrust the mandate of the party into his hands as he was the only person capable of delivering victory for the NPP in 2016.

Nana Akufo-Addo assured delegates that as per the verdict of the Supreme Court in the presidential election petition, the 2016 election would be won through vigilance and effort at the polling station. 

"We are taking the fight to the polling stations. Our strength and focus will be at the polling station. Everything we are going to do will be at the polling station. It is the only way we can win the election and deliver prosperity to all Ghanaians," he said.  

He asked the Eastern Region, which delivered a 91% winning margin for him in the August 2010 presidential primary, to replicate and even improve on this feat in the October 18 presidential primary.